Why Do More Boys Enrol in Private Schools? Evidence From India

Abstract

While it is evident that the gender parity in schooling has improved considerably in India in the last few decades, research on pro-male bias in accessing privately managed schools is sparse. This study, using a national household survey data, analyses the association of household resources with gender inequality in private school enrolment in India. Results show a clear pro-male bias in private school enrolment in India—households are 2.1 per cent less likely to enrol their daughters in private schools compared to sons, and this varies widely with households' socioeconomic positions and their location. For instance, this gap is higher among low-income families compared to rich households. Also, we find that the pro-male bias in private school enrolment is significantly higher among illiterate heads, and this gap reduces as the household head’s education improves. The analysis further shows that girls in rural India have a significantly lower likelihood of accessing privately managed schools in comparison to urban families. Our results show considerable gender inequality in private school participation across different states in India, the highest gap being 10.4 percentage points in Rajasthan. With pressing policy recommendations to reduce pro-male bias in provisioning of quality schools in India, our findings have important policy implications.